He spun around and walked back to the open hood of his car. “Whatever, lady.”
It was clear I was being dismissed.
And I was pissed.
My hands shook as I spun around and stalked away from Craig’s house. That hadn’t gone as well as I’d expected, although I didn’t know where those expectations had come from.
Peyton had warned me about this, hadn’t she? That the pack wouldn’t follow a bitten wolf. That I’d have no authority. That despite what Abraham said or thought, they’d never respect me as their alpha.
I stomped down the gravel drive on my way back to the lodge.
If Craig was going to be an asshole, we’d just eliminate him as the pack mechanic. We didn’t need to put up with his crap or his price gouging. As soon as I got back to the lodge, Abraham and I would figure out who we could bring our vehicles to from then on.
I was still storming down the road when I felt an uncomfortable sensation. Like I was being watched. Or studied.
I slowed my steps and looked around but didn’t notice anyone or anything right away. Just as I was about to turn back toward the lodge, I saw him.
Paul, Peyton’s brother, was sitting on the front porch of house two, his dark eyes trained on me.
I wasn’t sure why he was still a member of the pack, but Abraham refused to kick him out. His argument was that Paul shouldn’t be held responsible for what his sister did, even if they were twins and really close.
And Paul had all the excuses in the world.
He claimed he knew about Peyton’s feelings toward Abraham but had no idea she’d go to the lengths she did. According to him, he’d had no idea that she’d colluded with Calvin to separate Abraham and me on the night of the solstice party.
She’d cornered me in the lodge that night and filled my head with doubts and questions that had been too great to ignore. She knew it would cause a fight between Abraham and me and that was exactly what she and Calvin had been hoping for.
Once I’d left Abraham, she must have tipped Calvin off that I was leaving and that was when he caught up to me and offered a ride home to Raleigh. As desperate as I was to leave Asheville, I hadn’t even questioned how he found me or why he was being so nice. I’d just taken the ride.
Later, Abraham told me that Peyton snuck into his room that night, hoping that, since she got rid of me, it would make room for her. She was sorely mistaken. Abraham had swiftly kicked her out of his room, but not before she let slip her and Calvin’s little plan. That was what alerted Abraham to the danger I was in.
I suppose, in a way, it was because of her that Abraham was in time to save me. But on the other hand, it was partly her fault that I was in that situation to begin with, so I guess we were even.
After that, Abraham had excommunicated Peyton, and we’d all expected Paul to follow after her. So, when he came to Abraham and explained his situation, it surprised the hell out of all of us.
I didn’t think it was a good idea to have any relative of that evil bitch still hanging around, but Abraham wouldn’t be swayed. I thought part of it was due to his own guilt at not knowing it was his cousin who was murdering women in the woods. If he held Paul accountable for Peyton, that would mean he was responsible for what Calvin did too.
I thought it was all a load of crap, but I didn’t push him on it. Paul hadn’t done anything wrong. Yet.
Despite the fact that Abraham let Paul and his mate, Annalise, stay in the pack, he was still keeping an eye on him. He’d tasked all his enforcers with watching over him to make sure he wasn’t still aligned with Peyton somehow.
If you’d asked me, it was just a matter of time before Paul betrayed us, too. Blood was thicker than water, and you’d think the man with the huge, close-knit family would know that better than anyone else. But Abraham was loyal almost to a fault, and I couldn’t help but admire his big heart. That didn’t mean I wasn’t keeping an eye on Paul too, though.
However, it looked like he was the one keeping an eye on me at that moment.
I lifted a hand and gave him a little wave, but he didn’t respond, and the look on his face didn’t change. That was creepy as hell, but what could I do? Complain to Abraham that Paul was being mean to me? I’d just keep this little encounter in the back of my mind and hope I was wrong about Paul. That he was actually a good guy with a crazy sister.
I just hoped we wouldn’t regret that.
Chapter 6
My brain spun as I continued to storm down the gravel drive back toward the lodge.
When we’d announced our engagement about a month ago at the first pack cook out we’d held after Abraham proposed, I’d been worried. Thankfully, it seemed like the majority of the people there had been happy for us and excited about our union. However, I’d noticed a few wolves who hadn’t come up to congratulate us. And beyond that, not everyone in the pack had even been there for that barbecue.
I’d told Abraham we’d have issues with me being alpha of the pack, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. Now I had irrefutable proof.
Craig’s words were on repeat in my head as I slid open the glass door and stepped into the kitchen. Aubrey was still in there working, and when she saw it was me, she rolled her eyes and turned her back.
And I’d had enough.
“Aubrey, is there a problem?”
She shrugged a shoulder but didn’t turn around. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I sighed and crossed the kitchen to stand behind her. “You’ve been giving me an attitude all day and I want to know why.”
She spun around and speared me with a look. “Just because you’re the alpha’s mate, doesn’t mean we all have to like you. Some of us can see right through your fancy outside to what’s beneath.”
I took a deep breath and willed my hands to stop shaking. “And what is it you think is underneath?”
Aubrey took a step closer and tipped up her chin to meet my eyes. “A bitch who’ll get someone kicked out of their pack just because she doesn’t like them.”
I shook my head. “Are you talking about Peyton?”
She laughed once. “Are there more pack mates you’ve gotten ex-communicated?”
This was unbelievable.
The fact that Peyton still had the power to mess with my day was ridiculous.
“Listen, Aubrey, I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re wrong. Peyton defied Abraham’s orders on more than one occasion and was given several chances to straighten up. But she didn’t. As far as I’m concerned, she got everything she deserved.”
“And what gives you the right to decide that?”
I shrugged. “It’s just my opinion. I didn’t decide anything, Abraham did.”
She laughed again. “Yeah, and he’s so whipped by you he’ll do anything you say.”
“Is that really how you view your alpha? You don’t think he has enough sense to make decisions on his own? That he’s not capable of being unbiased?”
She looked me up and down. “Before you came around, I wouldn’t have thought that, but everything’s changed now.”
I shook my head again. “Then I think you should take that up with him.”
She rolled her eyes. “And risk getting kicked out because I don’t like the bitch he’s sleeping with? No thanks.”
Wow. That was the third time I’d been called a bitch to my face that day. That might have been a record.
I straightened my spine and looked her dead in the eyes. “I’m going to be one of the alphas of this pack someday soon. You don’t have to like me, but you will respect me.”
She turned back around. “I don’t have to do anything.”
I took a deep breath. And then another. When I thought I had my temper under control, I spoke again. “Do what you want, Aubrey, but I’m not going anywhere. It would be in your best interest to learn to get along wi
th me or things are going to be really uncomfortable around here.”
She ignored me completely. Didn’t answer, didn’t turn around, didn’t even acknowledge that she’d heard me.
Well, screw her, too.
I spun on my heel and stomped out of the kitchen, more irritated than ever. Taking the stairs two at a time, I stormed over to Abraham’s office and banged on his door. When he called for me to come in, I whipped it open and slammed it behind me.
“El?”
I stood there, chest heaving and hands clenching and unclenching over and over. I hadn’t felt so out of control in a while and I tried to remember my breathing exercises.
In, one.
Out, two.
In, three.
Out, four.
Abraham stood up and circled his desk. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath and shook my head. “I’m fine.”
He kept walking until he was only a few short feet away from me. “Then what’s going on?”
The events of the afternoon boiled and bubbled up inside of me until it couldn’t be contained anymore. “What’s going on is I’m not wanted here. Especially not as an alpha. I knew this wouldn’t work. I knew they wouldn’t accept me, but you made me try anyway, and look where we are now.”
He frowned and reached out to grasp my biceps. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
I let out a deep breath and looked up into his eyes that were so blue and creased with concern. He didn’t deserve for me to take this out on him. It wasn’t his fault there were wolves giving me trouble.
“Aubrey hates me, and Craig is a dick,” I finally said.
His lips twitched with a smile, but he held it back. “Why do you think Aubrey hates you?”
“She just practically told me to my face.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
I threw my hands in the air and began pacing his office. “She said Peyton got kicked out of the pack because I didn’t like her. That I’m just some bitch you’re sleeping with.”
His jaw tensed, and his eyes turned hard. “She called you a bitch?”
I just nodded.
He shook his head and spun around. “I’ll go have a talk with her.”
I rushed over as he moved to leave his office. “No, don’t do that! Then she’ll think I ran to tell on her.”
He turned around, jaw still clenched and the impressive muscles in his arms tight and defined. “I’m not going to let her speak to you like that.”
I let my head fall forward. “I can handle being called a bitch, Abraham. It’s not like she hurt my feelings.”
Much.
He walked over and used a rough finger to tip up my chin. “I don’t care if she didn’t hurt your feelings. You’re my mate and the future alpha of this pack and she’s going to respect that and respect you or she can leave.”
I shook my head. “That’s exactly what she’s expecting to happen. If you don’t like the alpha’s mate, you get kicked out. We can’t prove her right.”
He studied my eyes for a long time before he sighed and looked away. “I suppose that wouldn’t set a good precedence, would it?”
“No. It wouldn’t. She doesn’t need any more ammo.”
He took a deep breath and turned to lean his back against the door. “What are we gonna do then?”
The word we sent a little thrill through me.
I walked into his space and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I’ll just have to prove her wrong. I’ll have to show the pack that I’m worthy of being their alpha, just like you did.”
His hands slid to my hips, and he pulled me closer. “How are we gonna do that?”
I had to bite my lip to hold back a smile. There was that we word again. It felt nice. Knowing we were a team. Whatever happened to me happened to him, too. We’d get through this like we’d gotten through everything else.
I reached up and kissed his lips. “I’ll figure something out, I guess.”
He dipped his head and kissed me again. “So, your appointments didn’t go well today?”
“Actually, they weren’t that bad. At least until I had to talk to Craig.” Even saying his name made the blood froth in my veins.
He kissed me again and pushed off the door. “Come sit and tell me about it.” He took my hand and led me around his desk where he lifted me onto the surface and took a seat in his chair. He rolled himself close enough that he could wrap his big hands around my knees. “What happened with your first appointment?”
I suppressed a shiver as his thumbs drew circles on my legs. “Um, that was Maddy.”
“Uh huh. What happened with her?”
He was still rubbing my legs, and I was having trouble concentrating. I swallowed. “Um. She was having a problem with her neighbor.”
“What kind of problem?”
“He’s been working in his driveway and blaring music late at night. It’s been keeping her up.”
“Hmm, that is a problem. Did you come up with a solution for her?”
I nodded and closed my eyes as his hands wandered higher. “Um. Yeah. I told her we’d implement some quiet hours.”
His hands paused what they were doing, and I cracked an eye to see him looking at me strangely. “Quiet hours?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. They can be from like ten p.m. to eight a.m. while most people are sleeping. It makes sense for a community this size to have rules like that.”
He sat back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face.
“You don’t agree?” I asked quietly. This was my first test as an alpha and I was nervous he’d think I did a bad job. Maybe I wasn’t really cut out to lead.
He shook his head. “No, I do. That’s a great idea, El. We should have had something like that in place a long time ago.”
I perked up, my lips spreading into a smile. “Really?”
He sat forward again and ran his hands up my thighs to where they’d been before. “Yeah, baby. You did real good.”
My smile couldn’t be contained, and my cheeks were already starting to ache.
“What about the second appointment? What did Elliot want?”
“Oh, he was complaining about how much Craig wanted to charge for an oil change. For whatever reason, he doubled his prices.”
Abraham frowned. “What’s going on with that?”
I shook my head. “No idea. And talking to him got me nowhere.”
His hands slid up and down my thighs again. “How did that go?”
I leaned back and rested my hands on the desk under me. “I asked him to explain why he’d increased his prices that much, but he said they were his clients and he’d charge them what he wants.”
“And what did you say?”
I shrugged. “I told him if he couldn’t charge a reasonable price that we’d find a new pack mechanic.”
Abraham froze again. “You did?”
I paused too. “Um. Yeah. Was that wrong?”
He stood up and moved closer until his hips were between my legs. His head dipped down, and he pressed his lips against my neck. “No. That’s exactly what you should have done.”
I gasped as he nipped my skin. “Oh, okay then. Good.” I brought my hands up to his thick arms and slid my fingers beneath the sleeves of his shirt.
“What else did you say?” he mumbled against my neck.
What did I say?
It was so hard to concentrate when I was being eclipsed by Abraham. He was everywhere, all over my body and under my skin. I shivered again as his hands slid beneath my shirt to circle my waist.
“Um. I told him I’m the future alpha of the pack and that he had to do what I said.”
Abraham groaned and pressed his hard length between my legs. “Mmm. What else, baby?”
>
His hands wandered from under my shirt to beneath the waistband of my pants. He slid them around behind me and cupped my butt, dragging me closer to him.
“Um. That’s about it. I think the last thing I said to him was to drop his prices, or he’s done here.”
Abraham’s hands clenched where they held me, and I gasped again.
“What’s going on?” I breathed, my fingers tracing the muscles of his broad shoulders.
He kissed down my neck and up the other side. “Hearing you talk like an alpha is so fuckin’ hot.”
My lips curled into a grin. “Really?”
“Mmm. I’m rock hard right now.”
Heat rushed between my legs and my head fell back to give him better access.
“I don’t understand.” I whimpered as he nipped the skin on my chest.
He pulled back slightly until I could see his heated blue gaze. “You’re so sexy when you’re being all authoritative.” He pulled me closer and ground his erection into me. “If I’d been with you, I probably would have fucked you right there in old Craig’s driveway.”
I laughed, but it fell breathy and soft from my lips. “If I’d known picking up alpha duties would turn you on like this, I’d have done it a long time ago.”
He shook his head. “I get hard every time I’m in the same room as you. You don’t need to do anything extra to turn me on.”
My smile was smug. “That sounds like a problem. How are we gonna fix it, baby?”
He growled and pressed into me harder, making my hips buck against him. “You know when you say that word it makes me want to fuck you.”
I leaned back on his desk again and shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t see what’s stopping you.”
He growled again and pulled me upright so he could ravage my mouth. His busy hands pulled at my clothes and, soon, I was sitting on top of his desk completely naked. He ripped his lips away from mine and took a step back, his chest heaving. With his eyes locked on mine, he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
For the hundredth time, I wondered how I’d gotten so lucky.
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